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Recipe
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Posh Fish Pie

Fish pie is the ultimate comfort food. We had different versions growing up. I remember my mum’s always had prawns in, but I think her sauce was quite cheesy and she did a potato topping. I decided to ‘posh it up’ one night when making dinner for my friends and the resulting recipe looks great – a bowl of beautiful fish in a creamy sauce topped with pastry. I demonstrated this dish at the MasterChef Live show.

Serves 4

  • butter, for greasing
  • 1 x 375 g packet all butter readyrolled
  • puff pastry
  • flour, for dusting
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 250 ml (8 fl oz) white wine
  • 250 ml (8 fl oz) double cream
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon or wholegrain
  • mustard
  • 1 x salmon fillet, weighing about
  • 300 g (10 oz), skinned and chopped into pieces
  • 1 x small monkfish tail fillet, weighing about 300 g (10 oz), chopped into pieces
  • 1 x smoked haddock fillet, weighing about 300 g (10 oz), skinned and chopped into pieces
  • 12 raw peeled king prawns
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon freshly choppedtarragon
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), gas mark 6 and grease a baking tray. Lay the pastry out on a lightly floured worksurface and cut into four 11 cm (4. inch) rounds. Brush with the beaten egg, place on the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.

Put the shallots and wine in a saucepan, bring to the boil and continue to boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cream and let it bubble away until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Stir in the mustard, chopped fish and the prawns, add some salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the prawns have turned pink. Stir through the parsley and tarragon.

Spoon the fish mixture into serving bowls and top with the cooked pastry discs to finish.

Recipe
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Gazpacho

When I taste this I am transported back to Paris in the summer of 1993. I was shooting a film called Le Peril Jeune. I was the only English girl and I had been invited over to meet the rest of the cast at the lead actor’s apartment. His name was Romain. He was 19 years old, very cocky, funny, beautiful and super-talented – I have to say I fell a little bit in love with him! We spent the whole summer filming, going out partying and hanging around Paris, smoking, him teaching me verlant (French slang) and listening to Bob Marley, Cat Stevens and Miles Davis. He made this gazpacho that first night, and I will always remember it – so much so that I managed to track down Romain and ask him for the recipe! He was very happy to send it, and that’s how it ended up here. In the words of

Romain that summer… quelle histoire!

Serves 8

40 g (1. oz) white bread, crusts removed

500 ml (17 fl oz) iced water

2 garlic cloves, chopped

50 g (2 oz) onion, diced

400 g (13 oz) mixed red, green and yellow peppers, deseeded and diced

400 g (13 oz) tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into quarters

300 g (10 oz) cucumber, peeled and diced

juice of . lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

500 ml (17 fl oz) tomato juice

1 teaspoon salt

To finish (optional)

150 g (5 oz) mixed red, yellow

and green peppers, deseeded and

finely chopped

75 g (3 oz) Spanish onion, chopped

Immerse the bread in the iced water and let it soak up the water. Transfer the bread to a food processor or blender and add in the garlic and onion. Blitz until it is a smooth pure. Set aside in a separate bowl.

Put the peppers, tomatoes and cucumber into the food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.

Pour the blitzed tomato mixture into a large bowl and add the lemon juice and olive oil. Also add the onion pur.e, tomato juice and salt and mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight or for as long as possible (2 hours is really the minimum time).

When ready to serve, check the thickness of the soup and if you need to loosen it add some iced-cold water. Top with some mixed chopped peppers and onion or a selection of garnishes of your choice and a drizzle of olive oil.

 

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Smoked Salmon Pate & Melba Toast

This was always another favourite for Christmas Day or Boxing Day tea. My mum had a fish mould that she used to serve it in, which I have done at times when I’ve wanted to recreate that 80s feeling! It’s super-easy and can be whipped up in minutes.

Serves 4

  • 200 g (7 oz) smoked salmon, cut into pieces
  • 50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons double cream
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • a small handful of freshly chopped chives
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • melba toast, to serve

Put the smoked salmon pieces and the butter in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.

Add the lemon juice to taste, followed by the cream, cayenne pepper and chives.

Check the seasoning and divide the p.t. between 4 ramekin dishes. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm.

Serve with melba toast.

Recipe
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Nina’s Chocolate Mousse

Another classic from my godmother, Nina. These mousses are really easy, but don’t be tempted to use too rich a chocolate or they won’t work! I would normally use a good-quality chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids for these kind of desserts, but this one

really does work better with a standard chocolate. My nieces love them, as does Billie, and they freeze beautifully, making them an easy make-ahead dessert.

Makes 10

  • 300 g (10 oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 6 eggs, separated

Melt the chocolate and the water in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.

Whisk the egg whites, either by hand or with a hand-held electric mixer, in a large clean bowl, until they form stiff peaks.

Allow the chocolate to cool a little and then whisk in the yolks one at a time. Mix until well combined. Fold in the egg whites, taking care not to knock all the air out.

Divide the mixture between 10 ramekin dishes or little cups and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Note: These can be made in advance and stored, covered, in the freezer for up to 1 month